Two different series of naphthalene and anthracene based hydroxamic acids having amino acid derivatives were synthesized. Single strand DNA cleavage was achieved on irradiation of newly synthesized hydroxamic acids by UV light (⩾350nm). Both reactive oxygen species (ROS) and generated radicals from hydroxamic acids were shown to be responsible for the DNA cleavage. Further, DNA cleaving ability of hydroxamic acids was found to be dependent on its concentration and on its structure.